Final Essay: Circular Moby-Dick or, The Sphere
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Author Archives: Adria Lopez
Extra Credit: Close Reading Canals
Thinking about which body of water feels the most personal to me was an interesting exercise. I come from the middle of the desert; Imperial Valley, CA, one of the hottest places on Earth, and the bodies of water in my immediacy are not naturally occurring. In my county, the largest bodies of water I see on a daily basis are canals running through our desert land. Despite being one of the hottest regions in the world, we do not experience water shortages because these canals, supplied by the Colorado River, feed our agricultural community with potable water year round. This, to me, exemplifies the blend of nature and man’s intervention in the creation of life: both factors had to be combined to sustain the life we lead today. I grew up watching these canals through my car window as we rode through town. It was when I started entering my teenage years that I realized I also had water to cherish in my own home, and I was lucky enough to not just be able to use it everyday, but also see it with my own eyes as I drive through my desert town. The flat, open landscape is the perfect backdrop to appreciate the contrast running water makes on dry land. It is difficult not to appreciate the ordinary beauty of these canals under the sun. The powerful rays bounce off the surface on a clear day and they sparkle in your vision. The water is constantly clear and mesmerizing, and perfectly reflects the deep blue sky. The edges of the water are framed by tangled vegetation that grows through the cracks of the concrete and it reminds you that life always finds a way.
And yet, these givers of life also bring death. One of the most shocking sights to me has always been at the edge of these canals, where you can often find a cross sticking out from the ground. The crosses are often simple; just two pieces of wood nailed together, with maybe an inscription of the name. Sometimes they are decorated with small fairy lights or artificial flowers, and sometimes they might even include a picture of a person. These are shrines to people that have suffered accidents, maybe gone swimming in the canal or tried crossing them for another reason, and have died by drowning as a result. Ever since I was a kid, this has been a constant motif in my landscape (in my hometown particularly, which is a border town), a reminder never to get in the canals, and of the fragility of life. We are an overwhelmingly Hispanic population, and these colorful shrines are just one more example of how Mexicans culturally deal with and process death. And yet that which can kill us also constantly gives us abundant life and prosperity as a community. Life and death coexist together in the running water of the canals. I was privileged enough to have grown up occasionally travelling to the beach on summer break, sometimes over here to San Diego or to beaches in Ensenada and Rosarito, or having access to a pool to play in once in a while. The people who played and died in the canals might have done so because they lacked this privilege, so their experience with water was tainted with considerably more danger than mine. It is in these situations that we can see how access to water recreationally (and otherwise) is not only a geographical question, but an economical one, and sometimes it means the difference between life and death. It isn’t something to be taken for granted.
In my hometown, we have a bridge that goes over one of these canals, and every time I cross it, I look over my shoulder to admire the calm surface of the water, even if for a second. Something I got from my mom, it has become a habit to always check the water level, see how we are doing. When the water is high, I always take a moment to mutter a quiet prayer: “Thank you, God,” for the blessing of water.
Final Takeaway
This class was challenging and rewarding, a bit of a wild ride. I think my biggest takeaway from it would have to be the importance of doing stuff imperfectly. This challenging book we read was a lot, but it helped me develop the discipline to stick with it despite not reading every single word or line. I normally refuse to say I’ve read a book until I’ve read every single page until the end (for this reason, a lot of times I end up leaving books for school unfinished, because I feel like I have failed to read them perfectly), but this has shown me that this is not necessarily true. Close reading this, though not every single line, was one of the most valuable and enriching reading experiences I’ve had, at least in a long time. The process to learn close reading was a gradual one too, and it forced me to make failed attempts many times until I hit the mark. However, the opportunities to revise and correct our work were a very important step in this learning process. I tend to shy away from doing things unless I absolutely know exactly what to do, but this class has helped me realize my work is not of less value if it’s not perfect, it just means I’m human and I’m learning.
In terms of the content of the book itself, I feel like I’ve gained a new perspective of America as a country and us as a people. As a Mexican-American, I tend to separate my two nationalities with that hyphen: I am both, but they are distinct from one another. The discussion of what makes an American an American has caused me to question if this separation is really necessary. I am newly interested in what it means to be a person of the United States and why, what American culture might be, and what that means for our society. I’ve always thought that the strength of this nation lies in the combination of so many backgrounds and contributions that enrich us. I still believe this and the book has challenged me to think more deeply on this and how that relates to the American identity.
The trap of consistency
In “The Anatomy of Melville’s Fame,” O.W. Riegel presents the facts around the reception of Melville’s Moby Dick by the world of literary critics, these figures that hold so much power in their relatively anonymous positions simply with their opinions. A section of the article I found particularly interesting was in page 3, where Reigel is specifically discussing the reception of the British critics when the novel was first published. He writes, “They tested Moby Dick by the canons of unity, coherence and emphasis and found it wanting…Ill feeling, national pride, and a patronizing attitude toward America help to explain the severe condemnation by the English of Melville’s ‘Yankeeisms’ and ‘Go-ahead method.'” This discussion of the so called “canon”, an ever-elusive concept and yet the thing we use to judge the value of every work of art, captured my attention. This book is a prime example of the fact that the goal posts are always changing, however gradually, on what is “valuable” or “good” art, and that the standard is dependent on the subjective perceptions of a small but powerful group of people. This is true not only of art, but of societal structures and norms throughout history. In this case, the British held the power of determining the standard in western literature, and we can see that their judgement stemmed from a sort of prejudice against Americans. This simple ill feeling caused them to discredit the rich work of art we now recognize Moby Dick to be. It was also the fact that the novel was experimental that added to their reasons to devalue it. The “canons of unity, coherence and emphasis” were simply aspects that at the time people had decided represented a “good” novel, and they are all aspects that notably favor a type of consistency in narrative. It is the novel going against this pre-established order and Melville daring to do something new and different that rubbed critics the wrong way. It is not uncommon for things that challenge the status quo or are considered different to produce a negative reaction from the powers that be, a reaction that stems from a type of fear. It reminds me of Emerson’s quote in his essay “Self Reliance,” where he comments that “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” It is this stubborn way of clinging to consistency that kept society from recognizing the value in Melville’s Moby Dick for a long time, but ironically, it is now what keeps it a part of the so-called canon of literature, and where I expect it will stay for many decades to come.
Final Project Proposal
In Moby Dick, Melville presents a complicated rumination on life and America in the form of a novel about whaling and the chase of a great whale. My purpose is to explore Melville’s use of circles and circle related language as he uses it in the novel, and will be writing regular 6-8 page essay on the topic. My aim is to capture the overarching message of the novel, which seems to point to the cyclical nature of existence, a reality that is both comforting and terrifying.
Thesis statement: Throughout Moby Dick, Melville makes use of the concept of circles in his diction, imagery, and as a structural aspect in the overall narrative.
Final Project Thoughts
What do you still need to learn/do for your final project?
Melville’s use of circles, physical and metaphorical, in Moby Dick has caught my attention and I will explore that concept for my final project. I have interpreted this shape to be Melville’s discussion of infinity and Eternity, and endless cycles that make up life. For my project, I would like to dive deeper into this concept and find out what is the bigger purpose of it in the narrative and what does it tell us about the overall message of the book. What does Eternity represent for Melville? Should we as readers find the idea comforting, terrifying, or both? Is the point to be nihilistic or optimistic? All important questions for me to consider. In my case, I need to scan the book to find examples of this concept and contrast them with each other on how they are being used and for what. Compiling excerpts will give me a better idea of the kind of argument they make and the argument I will be making. I also need to do more research for the reference part of our project, so I am excited to dive back into our reading list and beyond and let my project take shape from there. Finally, once I have my argument (or while forming it) I’ll decide if it suits me better to do a long essay or choose a creative medium with a short essay. Both ideas sound doable for what I will be talking about, but I’ll give myself more time to decide the medium.
Short Essay: Close Reading 2
In the beginning of Chapter 110, “Queequeg in his Coffin,” Melville writes of the crew of the Pequod doing a deep clean of the cargo hold. Looking for an oil leak, they take everything out from the bottom, where it looks like you could find traces of Captain Noah and placards “vainly warning the infatuated old world from the flood,” and spread the objects out on the deck. In page 519, Melville offers the reader a specific image of this, “Top-heavy was the ship as a dinnerless student with all Aristotle in his head. Well was it that the Typhoons did not visit them.” By using figurative language to personify the ship, Melville stresses the role of the Pequod as a nation state and a representation of young America, which he critiques for its naiveness and unreliable foundation.
The term “top-heavy” is of importance here, because it refers to something that is excessively heavy at the top and in great danger of falling over. Although it is being used to describe the ship, it is not in a literal sense, as it makes no sense that a ship would topple over from many objects on its deck. However, Melville is referring to how the ship can be “top-heavy” when we are reflecting on its structure and ideals, which he argues are precariously built. Further, the term evokes the image of shallowness, as it is referring to the surface of the ship (it’s heavy at the top, but light at the bottom). In other words, it looks promising but it lacks substance. If we are to continue to think about the Pequod as a nation state and representation of America, as Melville has prompted us to do in the past, we can take these two ideas that spring from the term in question (how something heavy at the top topples over and a system that is superficial) and apply them to the young country Melville is living in; a country that has grown powerful at a rapid pace, a bustling, wealthy, energetic state that has many unaddressed cracks at its core. These fractures at the bottom though, Melville warns, will cause them to fall apart sooner rather than later.
In the next phrase, Melville prompts us to look at the ship “as a dinnerless student with all Aristotle in his head.” This image points to the ship (and therefore the country of America) as a naive entity. A hungry student is often immature and disheveled but also hungry for knowledge and idealistic. Idealism, that unrealistic romanticism, is a central factor evidenced by Melville calling attention to the head (“all Aristotle in his head”). This young student (or young country) is well-meaning, but their worldview only goes so far and stays stuck in philosophy and abstractions, which brings us back to the lack of substance at the base. Furthermore, by specifically referencing Aristotle, one of the most important philosophers for Western culture, Melville is indicating that this critique is meant toward for this sector of the world; but the analogy being used is of a student (who is often a young person), which means he is specifically critiquing the United States, the newest country of the West, and the one he is living in. After the American Revolution, the country united under strong ideals such as freedom, democracy, and unalienable rights, but the remnants of oppression in colonial America were never addressed. Slavery was one of these heinous violations, and it was becoming a more pressing issue with every passing day as unrest grew in the country. In other words, there were these big, noble sentiments that were proclaimed as the base of our nation, but when one looked closely at them, it was clear they were not consistently applied for every person in the land. We declared life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but in a tangible sense, these things were at best questionably exercised and kept at a very shallow level. The country was young and shaky, and for Melville it showed in its structure but also its inconsistent and undependable ideals. Preceding this idea with a reference to Noah’s Ark and the story of the flood, it is Melville making a warning about shaky foundations and the importance of heeding this warning in a timely manner, before we are destroyed.
This passage ends with a final warning disguised in a metaphor. Melville writes “Well was it that the Typhoons did not visit them then.” For the Pequod, or any ship for that matter, being hit by a Typhoon, a powerful force of nature, would have been catastrophic. He is saying that they were lucky they were not suffering from this dangerous event, but the word “then” implies that Typhoons will eventually visit them. In other words, catastrophe is imminent. As mentioned before, the issue of slavery in America was coming to a head at the time that Melville was writing his novel. The states are divided between slave and free states, but the recent Fugitive Slave Act was forcing every person in the country to be directly compliant with this structure (free states were complicit even before that as they benefitted from slave labor, but it was easier to ignore because it was less direct). The Typhoons that Melville is referring to are starting to brew on the horizon. Civil unrest is growing and division is more visible every day. This issue of blatant injustice would eventually burst into an all out war. The choice of using Typhoons as an analogy works because it implies that injustice will naturally erupt into chaos, a powerful force that we cannot fight. Melville is warning that the Typhoons are coming to our country, and with our naiveness and shaky foundation, we are ill prepared to receive them.
The tone of this passage is foreboding and admonishing, but it is also relatively gentle. Melville believes in his country and holds it close to his heart, which is why he compares it to a starving student rather than an entity of evil. It seems like he has hope in the good intentions of the American people, and their ability to change if they heed his warnings. This passage is highly relevant to the current climate of our nation. As Melville believes, it is important to recognize both our good intentions and failings as a country in order to directly address injustice and remedy it, lest it destroy us from within.
Ahab’s power, an illusion
In chapter 133, our crew finally comes face to face with Moby Dick, their deadly foe. In the skirmish that ensues with him, Ahab and other mariners fall into the sea after Moby Dick bites their boat in half, and then he starts circling them. In page 599, Melville writes, “Meanwhile Ahab half smothered in the foam of the whale’s insolent tail, and too much of a cripple to swim,–though he could still keep afloat, even in the heart of such a whirlpool as that; helpless Ahab’s head was seen, like a tossed bubble which the least chance shock might burst.” Our captain, this indomitable force of revenge and hate, seems fragile. In this passage, Melville brings to our attention two important points: Ahab is old and he is missing a leg. While these things have been discussed in the story before, they were really never liabilities, but now they have completely humanized Ahab for us and even made him seem weak. The picture Melville paints for us of old Ahab struggling to stay afloat in the water undercuts the image of the powerful and maniacal sea captain we have been getting up until now. Ahab’s element is sailing the sea, but being in the water itself has made him vulnerable like never before. He is tragically unequipped for this environment although he has spent his life in it. Not only do we realize that Ahab’s greatness has limits because of his physical condition, but because he is a mere human. The phrase, “helpless Ahab’s head was seen, like a tossed bubble which the least chance shock might burst” prompts us to think about the littleness and inadequacy of man in the face of nature. Even great Ahab is helpless in the sea and his head in the water is compared to a bubble. What is a bubble in the vastness of the ocean? This moment is prompting us to juxtapose the previous idea we had of Ahab, of supernatural power, with his current helplessness brought about by nature. The indomitable spirit of man (or his obsessive hatred) is nothing in the face of the natural world. Our power is an illusion that bursts like a bubble as soon as we touch the water. Melville destroys our previous perception of Ahab and uses imagery to illustrate a larger truth about humanity, that when faced with the savageness of nature, our greatness and power are revealed to be constructs of our own creation, and that though it might be easy for us to forget, nobody can tame the sea.
The enlightenment of death
In chapter 110, we readers get a good scare from Melville, because it seems certain that our beloved Queequeg is going to die. I enjoyed this chapter very much, but there was a section in page 520 that especially caught my attention. Melville writes, “But as all else in him thinned, and his cheek-bones grew sharper, his eyes, nevertheless, seemed growing fuller and fuller; they became of a strange softness of lustre…And like circles on the water, which, as they grow fainter, expand; so his eyes seemed rounding and rounding, like the rings of Eternity.” Here, Melville presents a new kind of enlightenment, one that comes not from madness like in Pip’s case, but one that arises from proximity to death. For Queequeg, this enlightened state transcended the abstract and was physically visible in his body. Ishmael says that his eyes were getting bigger and gained a “softness of lustre.” The eyes are through which we take in the world around us, and the bigger they are can metaphorically represent a higher awareness and a deeper perspective on life. His eyes also had “lustre,” which is a glow (light) on reflective surfaces. Not only are eyes for taking in information, but some would say they are the window to the soul, and a visible shine on them is representative of an enlightened soul that can’t keep from outwardly reflecting that. Queequeg’s eyes are subsequently compared to “circles on the water,” another reflective surface, exemplifying the outward manifestation of enlightenment; but water isn’t just reflective, it is also a fluid, shifting surface, where marks expand and grow “fuller and fuller,” but also fainter. After all, Queequeg’s expanding eyes and thin body are a tangible sign of decay as much as they are a metaphorical sign of enlightenment. The human body is as impermanent as moving water. But while the body is temporary, the soul is eternal. Ishmael finally compares Queequeg’s expanding but fading eyes to “the rings of Eternity.” As he nears death, in Ishmael’s eyes, Queequeg becomes infinite in spirit. His body will fade away, but his soul, which is accessible through his eyes, becomes eternal. Aside from the spirituality in this scene, we also see Melville once again addressing the question of how we acquire knowledge. As he has shown us before in the book, existence is not exactly fit for certainty, but maybe death is. Melville questions that we can really know anything when we are alive, but in this scene, Queequeg’s expanding eyes and eternal soul display death as a true path to knowledge and revelation. In an ironic turn, when death begins to take the place of life, that is when a being may truly grasp their existence. It seems to be impossible to know anything with certainty, but that changes when we cease to exist. Though a very sad scene of sickness and decay, Melville uses lovely and serene language, giving the reader a sense of peace and almost as a way to dispel fear and restlessness. This is a tranquility that comes from finally understanding that which you could not in life, but the price to pay for that is death.
The cycle of war and peace
In chapter 98, “Stowing Down and Clearing Up,” Melville writes about the last step of processing the oil of a hunted whale. He tells us that when the oil is finally put away into barrels and these are stored away in the “bowels of the ship,” the whole vessel is scrubbed clean until it looks like “some silent merchant vessel, with a most scrupulously neat commander” (468). No trace is left of the bloody ordeal that was to extract oil from this whale. However, we find that this does not last for long. In page 469, Melville writes, “[T]hey only step to the deck to carry vast chains, and heave the heavy windlass, and cut and slash, yea, and in their very sweatings to be smoked and burned anew by the combined fires of the equatorial sun and the equatorial try-works; when, on the heel of all this, they have finally bestirred themselves to cleanse the ship, and make a spotless diary room of it; many is the time the poor fellows, just buttoning the necks of their clean frocks, are startled by the cry of ‘There she blows!’ and away they fly to fight another whale, and go through the whole weary thing again. Oh! my friends, but this is man-killing! Yet this is life.” This lengthy quote is a representation of the endless cycle of war and peace experienced by a nation. The sailors, or citizens, “only step to the deck to carry vast chains…cut and slash and…be smoked and burned anew by…the equatorial sun and equatorial try-works.” This first part of the passage describes a scene of physical toil, violence, and injury, all elements of a war. The sailors toil and suffer, and the language of “equatorial” fires is geographic in nature because this is the reality around the whole world. The sun is nature against man, while the try-works are man against himself, maybe weapons of our own creation. There is suffering in life that is natural and other that is man made, but it is observable equally around the world. Then comes the peace, and the sailors “have finally bestirred themselves to cleanse the ship, and make a spotless diary room of it.” The ship once again serves as a representation of a nation-state, and this section describes peace time, where the gore has been scrubbed clean and everything appears to be in order; where the land has transformed from a battle ground to a dairy room, a clean place of nurturing, a fertile land that will feed and grow the population. But nothing lasts forever, and the peace is broken by “the cry of ‘There she blows,'” a battle cry that snaps our “poor fellows,” who were enjoying the calm, the clean, the civilization (they were “buttoning the necks of their clean frocks”) out of a dream and sends them straight to the trenches once more. “[A]way they fly to fight another whale, and go through the whole weary thing again,” a quote that shows a type of melancholy, indicating the weary reality that is partaking in the repetition of a violent routine that one does not willingly enter into, but that seems the only option for survival in society. Finally, Melville writes, “Oh! my friends, but this is man-killing! Yet this is life.” This section reflects a cycle of suffering and calm that we have accepted as an inescapable truth of life, and takes it to a new scale by including the perpetration of suffering upon others as a continuation of this truth. In other words, Melville comments on our acceptance of war as a normal event which reflects the belief that life not only means to suffer, but also to make others suffer from time to time. This endless cycle we have created in our societies leaves too much to be desired, so Melville invites us to reflect on it and maybe think if there are no better options.